


A Smile

by theuglytomatoplant



Category: Dragon Quest Builders (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Builder's name is Eva, Fluff and Angst, Give everyone a hug please, Hopeful Ending, I need to write out my pain okay, Post-Moonbrooke, not writing story scenes word-for-word
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27036379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theuglytomatoplant/pseuds/theuglytomatoplant
Summary: Eva is renowned for always smiling. No matter the weather, no matter the monsters, no matter what happens, she wears a happy grin. Her smile comes from pride in her work, joy from being around her friends, and love for what she does. She is a beacon, a beacon of happiness and generosity.But when she returns home from Moonbrooke, she isn’t smiling anymore.
Relationships: Female Builder & Malroth
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	A Smile

_ “You are disgusting…” _

_ “I don’t need you, and you don’t need me…” _

_ “When we get back to the Isle of Awakening, we’re done…” _

_ “I never want to see you again!” _

Eva jerked awake. The sound of her gasping breaths filled the silent room.

She scrambled out of bed, nearly tumbling to the ground. She dashed across her room, towards her armor stand. She slipped the armor off the stand and hastily put it on herself.

Immediately, as soon as she was embraced by the protective metal, she felt herself calm down. Now that she had her armor on, she was defended against everything.

Well, almost everything.

Whoever said that words didn’t hurt was both right and wrong. Eva had been taunted by many members of the Children of Hargon, and it didn’t even faze her. And yet, hearing her best friend push her away, with barely a chance to explain herself, it hurt. It hurt far more than almost dying against that gigantes.

And the worst part was, Malroth was right. Eva knew that she didn’t do enough to fight for him. It was her fault that he’d been imprisoned. She’d let him down.

Eva could make anyone happy. She built everything that everyone ever asked for. Even as the requests became more and more ambitious, she would pick up her hammer and get to work.

In the end, the one person Eva couldn’t make happy was her own best friend.

And now, herself.

Eva really didn’t want to be around anyone right now. In fact, as soon as she’d finished helping out the guests from Moonbrooke, she’d gotten to work on a personal project.

She didn’t build it near any place where people lived. She made sure that it was far away from everyone else.

She built herself a massive castle of her own, with many rooms. She filled it with everything that she liked.

The castle had everything. A workshop, a bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen, a garden with food. Everything she thought she could need or want, she put in or around the castle. She protected it from the other citizens of the island with a massive wall.

But even though her new home was filled with so many things, Eva herself still felt empty. 

She glanced at the second bed that was across the room. It was empty too. Eva padded across her room and gently patted the sheets of the bed, smoothing out the minute creases. The bed had never been used, not by anyone.

She didn’t know if it would ever be used, to be honest.

“Will he ever forgive me?”

The words echoed in the silent room, never to be answered.

Eva didn’t know where Malroth was. She knew that he was somewhere out there, just beyond her reach. She couldn’t even see him.

More than anything, she wanted to see him again.

More than anything, she hoped that he could see her.

~-~-~-

Malroth scowled. He had been sitting on this stupid rock for who knows how long. He couldn’t feel his butt anymore. He suspected that it would fall right off if he stood up.

He didn’t even know why he was here. He wasn’t even that mad anymore. The time that he’d had to himself really helped.

Malroth knew that what had happened wasn’t Eva’s fault. 

He’d heard from Anessa that Eva had been asking and asking for Malroth to be set free every chance she got. She’d tried visiting many times, even when she was supposed to be doing something else. Anessa had even told him about the several failed break-in plans. That part almost made him laugh. Considering how Eva had masterminded a plan to break  _ out  _ of the supposedly escape-proof Skelkatraz, the fact that she couldn’t break into a dungeon  _ she’d  _ designed and made was funny.

Even now, the thought brought a smile to his face.

Malroth stood up, stretching his arms out. Luckily, his butt did not fall off.

He knew that he was changing. He could feel it deep in his core. In the beginning, it was like a little spot of  _ something  _ on his heart, twisting and expanding. Now, it was flowing through his veins like blood, poisoning his body bit by bit.

That strange voice was whispering in his ear more and more. Malroth had long stopped listening. He didn’t want to hear what it was saying.

Malroth knew he was losing himself. His grip on reality was sliding away. 

_ I want her to be safe. _

Malroth wasn’t staying away from Eva because he was mad at her: he was staying away from her for her safety. If he sank too deep, if he let the voice win, he could hurt or kill her. He wouldn’t ever forgive himself if that happened.

That didn’t stop him from watching her, though. He watched her build her own castle, one that challenged the castle built by the guys from Moonbrooke. It was very impressive. Malroth was proud of his friend.

And yet, there was something off about it. Everything that Eva had ever built always seemed to radiate  _ her _ . Malroth couldn’t explain it, but it was like whatever Eva built was a part of her. From his boring oaken club to the Kazapple Cannon rising over Moonbrooke, Malroth could see Eva in all of it.

But this castle didn’t have this at all. It was as dull as the rocks and sand of the empty beach. This castle reminded Malroth of all the places he’d visited before Eva had saved them.

It was like there was no light or hope inside that castle.

‘ _ There will never be any hope unless you embrace who you truly are… _ ’

Malroth winced. He tried to shut out the voice, but it crawled through him, filling his mind. Dark smoke rose from his skin, swallowing the light from the rising sun.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” Malroth yelled.

‘ _ Malroth, Master of Destruction, I simply want to help you. I cannot allow you to be denied the truth of who you are. _ ’

Malroth growled. “I already know who I am!”

‘ _ How I wish that were true. _ ’

The darkness cleared. For a moment, Malroth thought he was alone.

‘ _ Come. The builder has established her emblem. Now is the time to leave. _ ’

Before Malroth could register what he had heard, his legs were moving. He tried to stop himself, but he continued staggering over the beach.

Malroth was dimly aware that his feet were leading him to the top of the mountain. 

“Why am I going to the temple?” he asked.

For the first time, the voice didn’t answer.

~-~-~-

It had all happened so fast.

Eva was just going to set up her flag. That was all.

But then everything changed.

The Hairy Hermit was gone.

Hargon had absconded with Malroth.

All of her friends were beginning to fade.

And now there was a massive, swirling portal in the middle of the temple.

This portal, as well as what lay beyond, was keeping Eva from her closest friend. There was no doubt that she was going to go through it.

She had let Malroth down twice already. She was determined not to fail him a third time.

Eva hefted up her hammer. She carefully made sure that all of her armor was in place. She couldn’t forget anything.

She had to do it all right this time.

“Are you really going?”

Eva turned to Lulu. The normally outspoken girl was hunched in on herself, her normally determined gaze full of fear.

“You already know the answer.” Eva replied.

Lulu weakly smiled. “I figured.”

Eva turned back to the portal.

“But before you go,” Lulu murmured. “Everyone wants to say good-bye.”

Eva shook her head. “This won’t be good-bye,” she murmured. “Because I’m coming back. And because I’m fixing this, too.”

Eva stepped into the swirling darkness. She watched as the Isle of Awakening, her home, began to fade away. The ground beneath her feet disappeared, and she fell.

As Eva plunged into the void, she knew that she was doing the right thing. She was going to save Malroth and everyone else from Hargon.

And before she reached the other side, something that she’d lost had already returned to her.

She was smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> I was playing through this game and, of course, the Moonbrooke chapter broke my heart. I kind of expanded on the whole thing about the Builder smiling like an idiot all the time (except when Malroth is gone).  
> I hope you enjoyed this.


End file.
